Life's a Trip

2010 was a trip.  Literally.  Although not a trip on a train. It was a year in which we celebrated events from the past, and a year that brought home the stark reality of the present.

First, the celebration.  We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii.  It was an absolutely perfect trip. 

Unfortunately, 4 days after we returned home, we received a phone call from a health care professional, informing us that my father-in-law required relocating into a facility that was better equipped to provide care for his escalating Alzheimer's disease.

About two weeks after that, another phone call, this time from my sister, to tell me that our mother had suffered a devastating stroke. My father-in-law now lives close to us and my mother in a skilled nursing facility (where she receives wonderful care). 

Life, forever and undeniably, altered for us all.

So to close out the year, we decided on some fun (maybe even a bit silly) photographs of ourselves.

Bend, Don't Break

What a splendid "last minute" Christmas project!  Serendipitous, actually.  I had just finished my last work project and had a couple of days before Christmas when I received a call from the little girl in this picture - a little girl who is now a mom with children of her own.  This photograph had been stored for about 30 years, had never been framed or displayed.

Joy to the World...

The Lord is come...

We hope that you and your family find much joy and love for Christmas and throughout the New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

PS  Check back on Monday.  I've got a wonderful restoration project for you to see!  IF I can wait till Monday to post. 

The Night Before Christmas...well, not quite yet

The "Night Before Christmas" book belongs to their mother, who is a dear friend of mine.  I'm wondering if the reason "...not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse..." might be due, at least in part, to the lovely Maggie-kitty.

These are some of the pictures from a "To The Point" mini-shoot for their Christmas card.  Ya'll were loads of fun!  Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Facebook profile pic!! :-)

Christmas - Sneak Peek

From a mini shoot for a Christmas card.....just a sneak peek.....and just maybe peeking is part of the fun :-)

Little Faces

Here is another project for the assisted living apartment we were setting up for my father-in-law.  The image I was working from was about 3x5 and was printed on an consumer grade ink jet printer several years ago.  Even the scan was better quality than the original image.

Coming Home from WWI

 

These are scans of a postcard (about 3x5) from WWI.  The soldier, having served in France, returned to the United States on this ship. 

I combined the two images to create an 20x30 image for as assisted living apartment for the soldier's son.  I chose not to repair the creases and discolorations of the original.  I also chose to leave the soldier's handwritten note at the bottom, "I came home on this boat".  I wanted it to look like the vintage piece that it is.

Matted, framed, and hanging in the apartment, this was quite a surprise to the new resident.  A unique piece of art that brings back memories and creates a sense of "home".

Sometimes Life is Crooked

I could have straightened this photo. But I like it crooked because it tells an unintentional story.  We had spent part of the afternoon with a wonderfully talented photographer on the North Shore of Oahu.  We had planned to have her do a 25th Anniversary shoot with us.

As soon as our meeting was over, Tim and I headed south to Papa'iloa Beach, where some of the LOST television show's beach scenes were shot.

We arrived slightly before sunset.  There was only a very narrow alley leading to the beach and from where we parked, you couldn't see the beach at all.  We jumped out of the car and raced down that alley.  When we spilled out onto the beach, it was an amazing view.  LOST.  We could envision the crashed plane on the beach.  We recalled the dazed, confused expressions on the characters' faces as they came to terms with their reality.

Do not Squander Time

Tuesday, October 19, 2010:
My mother had a stroke - a debilitating, forever life-altering stroke.  Left without the ability to swallow, speak, completely unresponsive on one side of her body, she is now living her worst nightmare.

On the Move

Monday, September 27, 2010:

We received a call that my father-in-law can no longer stay in the independent living facility he moved into just one year ago.   His dementia has progressed and is affecting his mobility so that he is no longer safe without additional assistance.

In the Mood

Once upon a time, in a photography class at Northwestern College in Naperville, IL, we were asked what we liked to photograph.  Going around the room, each student was to share their name along with our particular photographic interest.  "Landscapes.......people......animals........nature......." Then it was my turn.

I took a deep breath and said, "Feeling.  I want to be able to capture the feeling of the moment."  There was a long pause and our professor said, "That's the most elusive quality of all to capture....."

Lake Barkley

Holiday Discount

Very often I meet people who have pictures they would like to have repaired, but they are reluctant to arrange to have them restored due to anticipated cost.  However, the cost may be less than you think.

I am committed to providing this service to my clients at an affordable rate.  The actual cost varies based on the degree and type of damage, but you just might be surprised....


I am offering a 30% holiday discount for off the price of one photographic restoration project to the first 5 new clients who contact me within the next 5 days......starting......NOW!

Hawaii

 Where do you start with pictures from nearly 2 weeks in Hawaii?  Or, with over 800 pictures, more specifically, where do you end?

The first pic is of THE BEACH in LOST.  We didn't find it until the sun was setting.  There were two pro photographers there, shooting wedding pictures.  We (well, mostly me) scurried around the pros to grab some pictures of this scene we had seen so many times during the LOST series.

But, Hawaii isn't simply the tropical scenes we all think of when we imagine being there.  Thanks to the volcano, there are 11 of the 13 microclimates all on the Big Island itself.  There is the rainforest, alongside the scrub brush, the lava beds...cactus down the street from coconut palms. It was a fascinating place - absolutely fascinating.

to put this scene in perspective.....IT WAS AS HOT AS THE DICKENS!!!

More later......

Practice What I Preach

We are preparing to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii.  We are sooooo excited, I've already started packing!!  

After years of practice, I've become  pretty good at setting my camera on a tripod, using the self-timer, and dashing around to pose w/ Tim and the kids before the shutter fires. But sometimes, it's simply wonderful to have someone else behind the camera.

Case in point, Jessica from 503Photography, did a mini photo shoot with us 2 years ago.  I could have never captured the same look and feel like she did.

I often suggest hiring a professional photographer to folks - even when there isn't a significant life event, like a wedding.  So to practice what I preach, I've made arrangements with a wonderful photographer in Hawaii to photograph us celebrating 25 years together.

Her name is Natalie Norton - I love her photographic style and her approach to post-processing. Those of you who know me know I have some rather strong opinions about this topic - ok, I can just hear you saying, "....really?  Beth has a strong opinion....??" lol.  Anyway, I'm here to tell you that planning for the shoot with Natalie has added to the fun and excitement of our trip. 

Yes, I'll be posting pictures... Aloha!

Texture-ized

 Here's what's crazy about this.....the great-granddaughter, one of my regular clients, looks JUST LIKE HER GREAT-GRANDMOTHER!!!
 I wish I had a picture of her so I could post the two of them side-by-side.

After I cleaned this up, I went back and added some background texture - just for fun.  I'll give my client both versions.....she's an artist, so I have a feeling she may like the one w/ the added texture.

Captured Feeling

Not every photograph that needs to be preserved is a studio portrait - not at all.  Photographs capture the way we look at any given moment in time.  I think the best photographs are the ones that capture the feeling of the moment and this one certainly does.

This was about 1993 on the Beast at King's Island.  It was one of those images snapped by the automatic cameras designed to catch your expression at a sudden drop, twist, or turn.  Those images are not made to last a lifetime - the paper, the ink - it's really just a way for the amusement parks to make a little more money.

But these expressions are priceless.  That automatic camera caught each one of us being ourselves.  And although the image has faded, our memories of that afternoon haven't....and now,  the kids can share this picture with their kids and tell them about the time we went to King's Island....and rode the Beast....and squealed and laughed and laughed again!

The Final Cut

It was a very hot and humid day.  Wait.....hasn't every day this summer been hot and humid?  Yes.  Yes, it has.  It was so humid that, as soon as we stepped outside,  my lens fogged up....Not quite the look we were going for....soooo....

After cleaning off the lens (more than once), and looking for the remnants of sun to backlight her hair, this is the result.

Many of you have been asking to see Sarah's hair after the cut.  And although the humidity put a quick end to these curls, for the moment, they were lovely!  (Ps  notice her eyes match her dress and no, I did not Photoshop the color)

Making Faces

Ok, first of all, don't you love his hair?!??  It's such a great color and then has just a touch of curl.  I suspect he will fight that curl as he gets older, but as a three-year-old, it's just perfect!

We took pictures of his brothers and saved this guy for the end.  It was unmercifully hot, but he managed to play "make faces" with me and we didn't even have a "I'm-sad-cause-it's-too-hot" face. (To be more accurate, he didn't wear the "it's too hot" face.....can't say the same for me, however :-) 

His expressions were priceless....especially the ones he made up himself!

Thanks for playing, LOVE your animals!  They are just too cool!



Related posts:

Love
Imagination
No Longer a Child

Joy from the Heart

 What a happy little girl!  Unfortunately, the original snapshot, from about 1960, was stuck inside a plastic sleeve from a wallet. 

This little girl, all grown up, now provides home health care - a service that enables senior adults to live independently a bit longer. When I first met her, I discovered a delightful personality. She is warm, caring, and inviting - perfect for the home health industry.

As I worked on this image, I observed that the woman today reflects the same joy as we see on her face when she was a little girl.  This joy, flowing from her heart to her face as a child, is now shared on a regular basis with her home health clients and their families. Joy comes from the heart, and is seen clearly in this little face.

 

Where the Heart Is.com

Locks of Love

First of all, I love these locks :-)  I never managed to grow my hair this long.  Sarah wins!

However, it's time for a change.  The record-setting, blistering heat in the MidSouth sealed the deal.  Sarah has an appointment this evening to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love.  But before her hair was cut, we decided it would be fun to photograph it in it's entirety. 
 
So here she is with her "Locks of Love":

And here she is just after the first cut.  Wait till you see the final result......she came home, dried her hair in a blink of an eye, changed clothes and was off to show her friends. 

It looks absolutely terrific!  We will take "after" pictures this weekend.   Stay tuned.

Tough <<<< Love

He had a tough time at first.  He was born with a rare type of diabetes that kept him in the hospital his entire first month.

He's now four months old....blood sugar under control.....thanks to God for providing a most excellent medical team of professionals right here in town.....and if that isn't enough to make these eyes shine....he's got THE BEST Mama and Daddy.  He will grow up with parents who are giving their lives to a ministry that seeks to improve the quality of life in a part of our city that desperately needs it.

Love.  Isn't that what you see when you look at this little face?  Love.  That's what his parents give to each other, their family, and their neighborhood.  Love.

Skye's Giveaway ---------> Opportunity

Once again, Skye Hardwick and Jodi Friedman are teaming up to offer tools that help photographers produce better images.

Skye is giving away:
* One Workshop Workbook {theworkshopworkbook.com}
                (comes with free Posing Guide & More – read about here)

* Two $50 Gift Certificates to MCP Actions

 MCP Actions { http://www.mcpactions.com/ } is not only a fantastic resource for Photoshop Actions, but is also a great place for Photoshop tutorials {http://www.mcpactions.com/workshops.html }.  The "Blog It Board" sample above was created with MCP's free action "Try It Blog It Board".

 And, optionally:
* Skye will critique 10 of your images

Check out what others are saying { raves }!!

Imagination

When I look into these eyes, what I see is imagination.  I love it!  I loved the story about how the Lego motorcycle guy's hand was cut off....I loved his ideas about what kind of pictures we should take and where we should take them.

Imagination - priceless in any generation, but with so much imagining done for us through the media available at every turn, it is truly a priceless gem.

Gemstones sparkle, imagination sparkles, and these eyes sparkle.

No Longer a Child

The last time I saw this young man, he was about 8 years old, and was a avid video gamer.  When I saw him again last week, I was amazed at how much he has grown up.  No longer a child, he is incredibly intelligent, confident, handsome, and yes, still a gamer. :-)

As much as I enjoyed taking photographs of him, I loved his questions about cameras, photography, and talking about "stuff".  He is a terrific oldest brother to three young boys.  They are certainly lucky to have him to look up to. 

(And yes, I'd be honored if you used the pic as your FB Profile pic....)

GIbson Girl

Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944), an American illustrator, drew the famous "Gibson Girl."

From Wikipedia: "The Gibson Girl was tall and slender....
she had an exaggerated S-curve torso shape achieved by wearing a swan-bill corset. The images of her epitomized the late 19th- and early 20th-century Western preoccupation with statuesque, youthful features and ephemeral beauty. Her neck was thin and her hair piled high upon her head in the contemporary bouffant, pompadour, and chignon ("waterfall of curls") fashions...The most famous Gibson Girl was probably the Belgian-American stage actress, Camille Clifford, whose high coiffure and long, elegant gowns that wrapped around her hourglass figure and tightly corseted wasp waist defined the style."

I just completed work on this photograph. On the back is written "Wedding Day of..."  I would say it was the wedding day of a true "Gibson Girl".

Me and My Brothers

Just me.....

..and my brothers.....

....strollin' down the avenue.... (or gravel road as the case may be :-) 

 

... to see more click here